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Today marks the 4th anniversary of my embarking on the gluten-free diet. I received a call from my doctor on January 9, 2006 (my 33rd birthday) that my blood test for Celiac disease came back positive and the rest is history. I can’t believe how much the gluten-free food market has changed over these past 4 years. GF specialty food was close to impossible to find in the mainstream grocery stores. Naturally gluten-free food was still as easy to find, but some of the questionable items that are now marked gluten-free weren’t as easy to identify. Things have come a long way in just 4 years. More & more companies are labeling their products “gluten-free” (Progresso Soups, Yoplait Yogurt, General Mills Cereal – just to name a few). Many GF specialty foods have really exploded onto the market in the past 4 years.

So, today I celebrate being gluten-free. I am thrilled that I am now following a diet that helps me feel better & is helping to make me the healthiest person I can be. I celebrate that the “cure” is a diet change and not medication or surgery. Things could really be much worse. I have tried foods that I had never tried before & they have become new favorites. So, if you are newly diagnosed & struggling, please take a moment to stop & think about it. Mourn the beloved foods you are no longer able to eat & then move forward with an open mind. You will discover a whole new world (try to think of that song from Aladdin – “a new fantastic point of view“). Keeping a positive attitude will make your outlook seem much brighter. 🙂